Ft. Washington Way was originally built from
1959-1963.
The mile long expressway was characterized by a mess of simultaneous
right
and left side entrance and exit ramps, short merges, poor signage, and
a necessary aggressiveness by drivers. The idea for a deck over
the
old Ft. Washington Way trench had been tossed around for years, but
with
the significantly narrower trench promised by the 1998-2000
reconstruction
the idea was much more practical. Due to a lack of funding the deck was
left out of original reconstruction plans, however after construction
was
well underway in 1999 the idea was revived.

Funding for the pile driving was secured and actual
work
took place from Feb 2000 through August. Four decks of various sizes
between
originally planned overpasses will combine for a total tunnel length of
1200ft. 750 piles were driven, with 3 rows of 250 along the north edge,
south edge, and median between the eastbound and westbound lanes. The
cost
of the pile driving was $10 million and estimated cost of the future
supports
and actual decking is $46 million. $14 million was saved by driving the
piles before reconstruction was complete. The deck will not be built
until
at least 2005, when development south of the expressway is complete.
The
deck itself will be designated as a park, and so therefore will be
eligible
for funds from additional sources.
View of the center median piles, in March 2000.

The project is different from the nearby Lytle
Tunnel,
which was built for preservation purposes. This new tunnel is instead
intended
to eliminate the physical and psychological barrier that the eight lane
expressway
presents in order to improve nearby property values and encourage
development.

[Jake Mecklenborg November 2004]

Walnut St. was extended south in 2004
where the Riverfont Stadium garage stood just two years earlier. The
much narrower Ft. Washington Way is barely detectable in this photo and
illustrates how future riverfront development will be better integrated
with downtown.
Although technically a cut-and-cover tunnel, with the
cut having been made in the late 1950's and the cover 45 years later,
this
tunnel may never be commonly referred to as or have an officially
designated
name. This is despite being greater in length, width, and traffic
volume
than the nearby Lytle Tunnel, and with what will surely be a more
popular
park above. While the decking's eventual place in the local language is
at this point unpredictable, we can be sure that it will be a positive
addition to the downtown landscape and a major step towards reclaiming
the city's fringes from the expressways. See Fort
Washington Way for more
info and dozens of photos.